Shirley Ballas is a lady who puts on fire whenever she has to perform. Worldwide, she is known for her feisty ballroom dancer and dance referee, which focuses on the International Latin Division as a niche dance style. Over the years, she has performed incredibly well in various dance competitions with multiple championship titles under her belt.
Due to her exceptional skills and charm, she has been dubbed the Queen of Latin . In addition to active dancing, she is also a professional dance teacher. She was then appointed chief judge of the popular BBC TV show, Strictly Come Dancing in 2017. Here are more facts about her.
Shirley Ballas Biography
Shirley Ballas was born in Wallasey, England on September 17, 1960. She was also raised in Wallasey by her mother Audrey due to her father leaving the family when she was two years old. Nevertheless, Shirley Ballas started taking dance lessons at the age of 7 and soon after she started participating in various dance events. Shirley continued to compete for a few more years, but when she turned fifteen she decided to move in with her partner and Ballroom dance champion, Nigel Tiffany, in North Yorkshire.
Although it was quite difficult for her at first, she managed to adapt. After dancing with the Nigel Tiffany for two years in Yorkshire, they settled in London. However, a dance teacher in London advised Shirley Ballas to try auditioning to become Sammy Stopford’s dance partner. She accepted and later passed the audition. This would mark the end of her partnership with Nigel. With his new partner Sammy Stopford, they won the Professional Latin Dance Festival in 1983.
After moving to the United States to reside in Texas, the pair continued to battle each other until recording a straight win over one another.Professional Latin at the Blackpool Dance Festival in both 1995 and 1996. In 1996 Shirley Ballas became a judge and dance teacher for Latin American competitions and ballrooms. To this end, she had the opportunity to provide authoritative commentary and conduct masterclass sessions on the series, Dancing with the Stars.
Having been a professional dancer for over a decade, she gained the authority to become a dance judge. Interestingly, this was reinforced after she was tapped in 2017 to replace Len Goodman as lead judge on BBC One show Strictly Come Dancing. . On May 9, 2017, the transaction was completed. However, his role as a judge officially began on September 9 of the same year.
Net value
Shirley Ballas has worked well, had to be whereShe is even an inspiration to many young men and women who have decided to follow the path of dance. In addition, her years as a professional dancer, dance instructor and choreographer have also increased her income over the years. More so, considering that she earns a good amount of money as the head judge of the dance show, Strictly Come Dancing, her net worth has been boosted significantly to $5 million.
Family life – husband, son
Shirley Ballas has been married several times in her life and according to her, it was a bittersweet experience. Her very first marriage was to her dance partner Sammy Stopford when she was just 18 years old. What made their union interesting was the fact that they were dance partners. Sadly, after five years of marriage, both spouses called it quits as they went their separate ways. While they were together, they never had children.
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Although her second marriage took place in the mid-1980s, the exact date is not known. She tied the knot with another famous and talented dancer, Corky Ballas. As a couple, they lived in Houston, Texas, where they had most of their competitions as professional dancers. In 1986, they welcomed their union’s only son and his name was Mark Dallas. Now Mark Dallas is also a professional ballroom dancer, just like his parents. Although they have been married for a very long time, they decided to divorce in 2007.